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Special Issue "Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications"

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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental and Green Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 6641

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xuefeng Zhang

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Guest Editor

College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Interests: nanocellulose and nano-chitin biobased carbon nanomaterials for advanced applications; biobased absorbents for water and soil remediations; lignin-based polymer resins, coatings, and plastics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Chanaka Navarathna

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
Interests: adsorption; biochar; PFAS; degradation; arsenic

Dr. Yan Luo

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Guest Editor

Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC), 46 Nanchang road, Guanghan 618307, Sichuan, China
Interests: catalyst; bioenergy; biomass conversion; jet fuel; activated carbon

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the depletion of fossil resources and the increasing environmental pollution issues, there is a critical need to develop biobased materials and products from biomass as alternatives to fossil fuel-based chemicals products to alleviate these issues. For instance, biopolymers lignin, cellulose, and chitin have been recognized as sustainable precursors for green plastics. Biochars from biofuel and bio-oil production processes have played important roles in wastewater decontamination and soil remediation. Engineered biochar hybrids/tribrids have recently received a lot of attention for their multifunctional features such as adsorptive, ion-exchangeable, redox-active, photocatalytic, and hydrophobic to meet specific pollutant treatment needs. Moreover, biomass-derived porous carbons have drawn lots of attention for CO₂ capture and energy storage. Bioenergy, such as bio-jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel can reduce the usage of fossil fuels and provide a novel route to reducing CO₂ release.

This Special Issue on “Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications” seeks high-quality contributions focusing on the latest novel development of biomaterials and bioproducts and their application in energy and environmental areas.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Synthesis, characterization, and modification of biomass-derived carbons;
Biochars for water and soil remediation;
Porous carbon from biomass for energy storage and CO₂ capture;
Sustainable packaging materials from cellulose and chitin biopolymers;
Conversion of biomass to carbon nanomaterials;
Biobased plastics, adhesives, and coatings;
Bio-jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel;
Perfluorinated compound mineralization;
Biochar-based exotic multifunctional adsorbents.

Dr. Xuefeng Zhang
Dr. Chanaka Navarathna
Dr. Yan Luo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Research

15 pages, 10754 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sorption of Phosphate on Douglas Fir Biochar Treated with Magnesium Chloride and Potassium Hydroxide for Soil Amendments

and

Processes 2023, 11(2), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020331 - 19 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 994

Abstract

With increasing climate variability, a sustainable crop production approach remains an indispensable concern across the globe. In this study, P retention/availability of MgCl₂.6H₂O/KOH modified Douglas fir biochar was assessed. The MgCl₂·6H₂O/KOH treated Douglas fir biochar was prepared by sequentially treating Douglas fir biochar with magnesium chloride and potassium hydroxide solutions. The biochar’s surface area, pore volume, morphology, and elemental compositions were determined using BET, SEM, SEM/EDS, and powder X-ray analyzes. Both surface area and pore volume were reduced by more than 97% following modification. Similarly, the morphology and elemental compositions changed after modification. The maximum P adsorbed corresponding to Langmuir–Freundlich model was 41.18 mg g⁻¹. P sorption on biochar soil mixture was pH dependent. More studies are required to establish the field applicability of P-laden MgCl₂ ·6H₂O/KOH-modified Douglas fir biochar as a soil additive. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications)

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15 pages, 6018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption of Phosphates onto Mg/Al-Oxide/Hydroxide/Sulfate-Impregnated Douglas Fir Biochar

Chanaka M. Navarathna

Jaylen E. Pennisson

Narada Bombuwala Dewage

and

Processes 2023, 11(1), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11010111 - 31 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1292

Abstract

Nitrates and phosphates, found in fertilizers, are the most common eutrophication-causing agents. Douglas fir biochar (BC), a syngas byproduct, was treated with different Al/Mg ratios of sulfate (5% w/w metal loading) followed by an NaOH treatment. The greatest phosphate uptake at 25 °C and pH 7 was attributed to the composite with a Mg/Al 2:1 ratio prepared at pH 13 (AMBC). Batch AMBC phosphate uptake was optimized for initial pH, equilibrium time, temperature, and initial phosphate concentration. Phosphate removal following pseudo-2nd-order kinetics and increases gradually before reaching a max at pH 11, with 95% phosphate uptake in 15 mins. The Sips isotherm model provided the best sorption data fit resulting in a 42.1 mg/g capacity at 25 °C and pH 11. Endothermic and spontaneous adsorption were determined using van ’t Hoff’s plots. BET, XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and EDS were used to characterize the biochar before and after phosphate sorption. Used AMBC has the potential to be exploited as a phosphate fertilizer as a key part of an environmentally friendly agricultural management plan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications)

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13 pages, 1821 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

In Situ Synthesis of Zero-Valent Iron-Decorated Lignite Carbon for Aqueous Heavy Metal Remediation

Hasara Samaraweera

Samadhi Nawalage

R. M. Oshani Nayanathara

Chathuri Peiris

Tharindu N. Karunaratne

Sameera R. Gunatilake

Rooban V. K. G. Thirumalai

Jilei Zhang

Xuefeng Zhang

and

Todd Mlsna

Processes 2022, 10(8), 1659; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10081659 - 21 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1813

Abstract

Lignite’s large abundance, physicochemical properties and low cost are attractive for industrial wastewater remediation. However, directly applying lignite for wastewater treatment suffers low efficiency. Here, we synthesize highly efficient zero-valent iron (ZVI)-decorated lignite carbon through the in-situ carbonization of a lignite and FeCl₂ mixture for heavy metal removal. The effect of carbonization temperature on the morphology, structure and crystallite phases of ZVI-decorated lignite carbons (ZVI-LXs) was investigated. At an optimized temperature (i.e., 1000 °C), ZVI particles were found evenly distributed on the lignite matrix with the particles between 20 to 190 nm. Moreover, ZVI particles were protected by a graphene shell that was formed in situ during the carbonization. The synthesized ZVI-L1000 exhibited higher Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ stripping capacities than pristine lignite in a wide pH range of 2.2–6.3 due to the surface-deposited ZVI particles. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities of ZVI-L1000 for Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ were 38.3, 55.2 and 42.5 mg/g at 25 °C, respectively, which were 7.8, 4.5 and 10.6 times greater than that of pristine lignite, respectively. ZVI-L1000 also exhibited a fast metal removal speed (~15 min), which is ideal for industrial wastewater treatment. The pseudo-second-order model fits well with all three adsorptions, indicating that chemical forces control their rate-limiting adsorption steps. The reduction mechanisms of ZVI-L1000 for heavy metals include reduction, precipitation and complexation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications)

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15 pages, 10350 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Remediation of Aqueous Phosphate Agricultural Runoff Using Slag and Al/Mg Modified Biochar

Glenn B. Crisler II

Cintly Guzman Hernandez

and

Processes 2022, 10(8), 1561; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10081561 - 09 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1083

Abstract

Slag and Al/Mg oxide modified Douglas fir biochar (AMOB) were compared for their phosphate adsorbing abilities for use individually or in combination for simulated agriculture run-off remediation in wetlands. Aqueous batch and column sorption experiments were performed for both low-cost materials. AMOB was prepared in bulk using a novel green method. Material analyses included XRD, elemental analysis, SEM, EDX, and BET. Biochar and slag have different phosphate removal mechanisms. In short residence times (≤2 h), adsorption phenomena dominate for both adsorbents. Surface area likely plays a role in adsorption performance; slag was measured to be 4.1 m²/g while biochar’s surface area was 364.1 m²/g. In longer residence times (>2 h), the slow leaching of metals (Ca, Al, and Mg) from slag continue to remove phosphate through the precipitation of metal phosphates. In 24 h, slag removed more free phosphate from the solution than AMOB. Preliminary fixed bed column adsorption of slag or AMOB alone and in tandem was performed adopting a scaled-up model that can be used to remediate agricultural runoff with high phosphate content. Additionally, a desorption study was performed to analyze the efficiency of material regeneration. While AMOB does not release any adsorbed phosphates, slag slowly releases 5.7% adsorbed phosphate over seven days. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications)

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9 pages, 596 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ Catalysts on Product Hydrocarbon and Phenol Distribution during Hydrodeoxygenation of Oxidized Bio-Oil in a Batch Reactor

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Processes 2021, 9(12), 2138; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9122138 - 26 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1251

Abstract

Hydrodeoxygenation is an essential process for producing liquid transportation fuels. In this study, the effects of CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts form and loading ratio on the hydrodeoxygenation upgrading of bio-oil were investigated in a batch reactor. Raw bio-oil was first oxidized with hydrogen peroxides and oxone to obtain the oxidized bio-oil with reduced levels of aldehydes and ketones, increasing the organic liquid yield during hydrodeoxygenation by suppressing the coke formation. CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ was selected as the catalyst because of its low cost and commercial availability. The effect of the reduction and sulfidation of CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst on the hydrodeoxygenation of the oxidized bio-oil was compared. The effect of the catalyst loading ratio on bio-oil hydrodeoxygenation using sulfided CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts was also investigated. The research results showed that the sulfided CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst facilitated the formation of hydrocarbons, while the reduced CoMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst produced more phenols in the organic liquids. Moreover, a high sulfided catalyst loading ratio promoted the formation of hydrocarbons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Biomaterials and Bioproducts for Energy and Environmental Applications)

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